Controller for electric-railway cars



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.' Q

E. A. SPERRY. CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAY CARS.

. INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 18, 1896.

WI T NESSES.

WIQLQDW M um (No Model.) 2 SheetsShee't 2.

E. A. SPERRY. CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAY CARS. No. 565,989. Patented Aug. 18, 1896.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT I OFFICE.

ELMER A. SPERRY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC-RAILWAY CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 565,939, dated August 18, 1896.

Application filed April 23,1896. Serial No. 688.721. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER A. SPERRY, a citizen of the United States,residin g at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controllers for Electric-Railway Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for controlling electrically-propelled vehicles where the electric motors are capable of being converted into generators of electric current for energizing electric brakes or the like. This is generally accomplished by changing the motor connections, so that it operates in a closed circuit which includes the brake mechanism, the relation of the field and armature coils being reversed in order to avoid cutting down the residual magnetism of the field-cores.

The objects of the present invention are, first, to insure a predetermined amount of field excitation before the brakes are placed in circuit; second, to provide means for automatically interrupting this circuit when the current reaches a predetermined strength; third, to provide positive means for automatically locking the controller-handle when the current flowing in the braking-circuit becomes too great.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a controller, showing the circuit connections. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the automatic circuit-interrupter controlling the magneticlock. Fig. 3 is a plan of the same. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the device for interrupting the shunt-generator circuit. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the magnetic lock. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same.

The general construction and arrangement are similar to that set forth in my Patent No. 535,511, dated March 12, 1895.

. The lever A is pivoted at its lower end to the back plate B at the point A and carries the contact-plates a b o to cooperate with the contact-plates a b c on the back plate. The

- series of plates a are connected through resistances C. The trolley or other traveling contact is connected with a contact-plate D, adapted to co:

act with a switch-lever E, which is permanently connected by a conductor 1 with the last of the series of plates at.

The plate a is in circuit with blow-out magnets F, mounted on the lever A, and with one brush of the motor G by means of the condoctor 2. A branch conductor 3 runs to a contact-spring H. The gap between this and adjacent contact-spring H is adapted to be closed by aninsulated metallic plate e on one end of the switch-lever E when the switch is thrown open to break the power-circuit. The other brush of the motor G is connected by the conductor 4 with the coils of the blow-out magnets F and the contact-plate Z9. The plate I) is connected by conductors 5 with the middle one 11 of three contact-plates c b 0 the plates 0 0 being connected with the plate 0. The plate 0 on the lever A is grounded.

The field-coil G of the motor is connected between the two blades 2' c" of a reversingswitch I, said blades being arranged to coact with the three contacts 0 b 0 The blades of the switch are coupled together by a pivoted link '6 of insulation, so as to move simultaneously. A rod K connects this link with a lever L, fulcrumed at Z on the back plate B and having a V-shaped lug l".

On the lever Ais a finger M, pivoted at 'm, and held yieldingly in a normal position by means of a spring m bearing against the squared rear end of the finger. Adjacent to the pivoted finger is a rigid arm a carrying a diamond-shaped lug a whichis adapted to coact with a similar lu'g Z on an arm Z integral with the lever L.

When the lever A is thrown to the extreme right, the finger M strikes the V-shaped lug Z and rides along it into one or the other of two adjacent notches Z i depending upon the po- 0 sition of the lever L. In so doing it throws the lever L to its opposite position, and thereby shifts the reversing-switch I. If the lever is not thrown quite far enough, the lug a will strike the lug Z when the lever A is carried 5 back to the left, and the cooperation of these two diamond-shaped lugs, as one slides by the other, will complete the requisite movement of the lever L and the shifting of the switch I. These devices are fully set forth and claimed in my aforesaid application and form no part of the novelty of the present invention. The purpose of the reversingswitch I is to reverse the connections of the field-coil G of the motor when the switchlever E is shifted from the power-circuit to the braking position, so as to cause the current generated by the motor to flow through the field-coil in the same direction as the power-current.

The switch-lever E is connected mechanically with the reversing-switch I, so that the movement of the latter shifts the position of the switch-lever E and changes the electrical connections from power to braking.

It will be seen that it is only necessary to throw the lever A to the extreme right in order to effect this change, so that every alternate throw of said lever puts on the power and the intermediate throws set the brake.

In order to provide for running the car in either direction, the connection between the reversing-switch I and the switch-lever E is made by means of a rod N and a double hook P, fastened thereto, the hook being an I-shaped block with notches p p in its top and bottom to engage with pins 6 or e in the switch-lever E. The block is shown in Fig. 1 with its bottom notch 19' engaging the pin 6 the switch-lever being thrown to the position for setting the brake. By moving the lever A to the right and shifting the reversing-switch the switch-lever E will be moved to the position shown in dotted lines and the motor will be placed in circuit with the trolley.

To reverse the direction of the car, the block P must be raised to disengage the notch p and engage the notch 13 with the pin 6. Thepower-circuit will then be closed when the reversing-switch is in the position in which it appears in full lines in Fig. 1. The block P can be raised and lowered by means of an elbow-lever R, connected bya rod -7" and spring 1* with the block.

With the connections as shown in Fig. 1 the current generated by the armature G passes by conductor 2, plate a, plates (1, and conductor 1 to the switch-lever E, thence by contact-plate D and conductor 6 to the magnets S of the electric brake, and thence to ground. The other brush of the motor is connected by conductor 4, plates 19 b, conductor 5, plate b blade 1', field-coil G, blade 11, plates o, and conductor 7 to ground. The shuntcircuit from the motor goes through conductor 3, contact-spring I-I, plate 6, spring II, and conductors 8 to ground.

By swinging the lever A to the left the strength of the braking-current will be increased as the resistances O are successively cut out. The purpose of the present invention is to automatically arrest the movement of the lever and prevent any more increase in the current as soon as it reaches a predetermined strength, so as to avoid any danger of sliding the wheels. To this end I interpose in the brake-circuit an automatic circuit-breaker, and arrange a magnetic lock on the lever A in shunt around the circuitbreaker. I also interpose in the shunt-circuit 3 8 of the motor an automatic circuitbreaker, which can only be reset by a movement of the lever to the right, and a consequent releasing of the brakes.

The circuit-breaker in the brake-circuit is shown at T, Fig. 1, and in Figs. 2 and 3. The electromagnet-coil t is in series with the brake-magnets, the circuit being from the coil 25 to the pivoted armature If, carbon contacts t 15 and insulated plate 23 A spring holds the contacts normally closed.

The magnetic lock for the lever A is shown at U, Fig. 1, and in Figs. 6 and 7. The back plate B has a smooth quadrant B across its upper end, concentric with the pivot of the lever A. A lip A on the lever rides behind the quadrant. The handle A carries an electromagnet U, whose cores to lie close to the front of the quadrant. The coils of the electromagnet are in shunt to the contacts 1M of the circuit-breaker T by means of the conductors 9.

The circuit-breaker for the shunt-circuit of the motor is shown at W, Fig. 1, and in Figs. ttlld 5. This consists of ahelixw, connected with spring contacts w, coacting with a movable contact-blade 10 pivoted on a stud 10 and having a spring 10 tending to throw it away from the spring-contacts. The armature 20 acts as a detent to hold the contacts closed by engaging with the lower end of the blade 10 A flat spring w, having a tensionadjusting screw w keeps the armature in engagement with the blade. through the contacts w 102 to ground. This circuit-breaker is located near the lever A, so that when the movable blade 1.0 has been thrown open by its spring a finger A on the lever will push it back to a closed position.

when the lever A is moved to the right.

The operation of these devices is as follows: with the parts as shown in Fig. 1 the first movement of the lever A to the left closes the braking-circuits; but the great resistance of the rheostats 0 causes most of the currents generated by the motor to flow through the shunt-circuit by way of the circuit-breaker WV. As soon as the field strength has become built up to a predetermined point the armature 1.0 is attracted, releasing the movable blade 1.0 which flies open and breaks the shunt-circuit, sending all the current through the brake-circuit proper. As the lever A moves to the left the current energizes the brake-magnets S more and more strongly until, at a predetermined point, the armature of the circuit-breaker T is attracted, separating the contacts t t and sending the entire current through the locking-helix U. The effect of energizing this helix is to cause the cores to act powerfully upon the quadrant 13, thereby locking the lever fast until the current diminishes sufficiently to allow the spring t to close the contacts 25 i again and thus out out the locking-helix.

The circuit is Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a controller the combination with its operating-handle, of connectionsfor closing the motor in a local circuit, brake-magnets in said circuit, an automatic circuit-breaker in series with the brake-magnets, and a shuntcircuit including an automatic circuit-breaker, substantially as described.

2. In a controller, the combination with its operating-handle, of connections for closing the motor in a local circuit, brake-magnets in said circuit, an automatic circuit-breaker in series with said brake-magnets, a shuntcircuit around the contacts of the circuitbreaker, and a locking-helix for the lever in 1 said shunt-circuit, substantially as described.

V tioned shunt-circuit, substantially as described.

4. In a controller, the combination with a back plate having a quadrant secured thereto, of an operating-lever having an electromagnet mounted thereon and moving therewith to engage with said quadrant and lock the lever at any point thereon, substantially as described.

5. In a controller, the combination with a back plate having a quadrant secured thereto, of an operating-lever provided with a lip riding behind said quadrant, and an electromagnet mounted on said lever in front of said quadrant, substantially as described.

6. In a controller having circuit connections for an electric brake, the combination with said circuit of an automatic circuitbreaker, consisting of a helix in series with the brake-magnets, a pivoted armature carrying a contact, a stationary contact coacting therewith, and a springholding said contacts normally closed, substantially as described.

7. In a controller having circuit connections for an electric brake, and a shunt-circuit around said brake-circuit, the combination with said shunt-circuit, of a switch-arm to automatically close the shunt-circuit when the brake is put on and an automatic circuitbreaker for the shunt-circuit consisting of a normally-closed switch, a helix having an armature acting as a detent to hold the switch closed, and a spring to open the switch when the armature is attracted by the helix, substantially as described.

8. In a controller, a circuit-breaker consisting of the helix w, the stationary contact 10, the pivoted switch-arm 10 the spring w acting upon the switch-arm, the armature 10 normally engaging with the end of the switcharm, and the adjustable spring w to keep the armature in engagement, substantially as described.

9. In a controller, having circuit connections with an electric brake and a shunt-circuit around said brake-circuit, the combination with said shunt-circuit, of an automatic circuit-breaker, and means for reclosing said circuit-breaker when the brakes are released, substantially as described.

, 10. In a controller, the combination with an automatic circuit-breaker having a springactuated switch-arm, of an operating-lever having a finger adapted to close said switcharm, when the lever is moved to release the brakes, substantially as described.

ELMER A. SPERRY. lVitnesses:

M. NInLsoN, P. A. YOUNG. 

